She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The
Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a
bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry
someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up
and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning
of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two
mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the
jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions
swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous
secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself
falling in love.

Things I Liked:
Well, I have to admit I was annoyed when Pearson didn't come out and say who was who (ie - we don't know which one is which when the story is told from Lia's perspective). I kept thinking I knew and then second guessing it. I think this is what sustained me through pretty much the whole book - I just wanted to figure it out. In that sense, well played, Mary Pearson! And then the end happened and all the action was pretty much dumped into that last quarter of the book. I'm intrigued and want to read the sequel, but not sure what to expect.

Things I Didn't Like:
I think I was annoyed by the length a number of times. Nothing much seems to happen for a long time. Also, Lia should have been a little smarter when thinking about the consequences of her running away.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me a bit of the Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:s-factor: !
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: X
some suggestive moments

v-factor: ->->
a bit of fighting happens on page

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage